Cycling The Salient Ypres

6 - 11 June 2013

Cycling The Salient Ypres 6-11 June 2013 Meet Bromley South or Dover Below are the details of a 6 day cycling trip to visit the battlefields of The Ypres Salient across the second weekend in June 2013, leaving London onThursday 6th June and returning on Tuesday 11th June. The Thursday and Tuesday will be travel to and from Ypres; Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday will be battlefield tours. Joining the trip: People are free to join the trip at whatever day and time suits them, one person is coming on Eurostar (www.eurostar.com) on the Friday evening and returning on the Sunday evening, and hiring a bike in Ypres. People can also meet at Dover or drive and meet in Ypres on the first morning. Distances: The rides will be about 35 to 50 miles each day depending on how much time we spend at the places we visit and any other stops to visit places we pass on route. Dunkerque to Ypres is about 48 miles. Going: We will meet at Bromley South station of the Thursday at 06:30 and take a train from Bromley South (ETD 07:02) to Dover (ETA 08:54), it is a 3 minute cycle to the ferry port from Dover station, we take ferry from Dover (ETD 10:00) to Dunkerque (ETA 12:00) cycle from Dunkerque to Ypres via Poperinghe. You can go direct to Dover. I will book train (£26 return less with a group booking) and ferry tickets (£30 return with cycle), please let me know if you are travelling from Bromley South or meeting at Dover. Coming back: On the Tuesday we will cycle to Dunkerque (ETD Ypres TBC), take the ferry to Dover (18:00ish) and train from Dover (Time TBC) arriving back at Bromley South late evening. Accommodation and eating: This trip is self supporting, I will be camping in Ypres; the camp site has excellent facilities, it is close to the town and only five minutes walk from the Menin Gate, the cost for a tent on the camping field is 39 Euros for 5 nights. The link to the camp site is here: http://www.jeugdstadion.be/E/index.php There are also many hotels in Ypres, a full list can be obtained from the Tourist Offices – details below – there is a list of hotels and B&Bs that are known to the Tourist Office on the website, the link is here: http://www.ieper.be/ the email is: Toerisme@ieper.be There are many restaurants in Ypres. Battlefield itineraries: I have put together four itineraries for the Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday, the idea is we meet in the Ypres market square at about 08:30 for breakfast and ETD is 09:30 each day and we should be back in Ypres at about 17:30 to 18:30ish. Go back to the camp site shower change and out for dinner and a few beers. Day 1 – Thursday - Travel to Ypres via Poperinghe We will catch an early train from Bromley South to Dover and take the 10:00 ferry Dover to Dunkerque; cycling from Dunkerque to Ypres we will visit Lijssenthoek cemetery and travelling on to Poperinghe we visit Talbot House. Continuing to Ypres we will visit Brandhoek New cemetery were Capt Noel Chavasse a double VC is buried before cycling on to Ypres. Day 2 – Friday Today we cycle north to visit Essex Farm Bunker dressing station, we continue north along the line of the Leper Canal to Boezinge; from there we follow the approximate battle line of 6 June 1917 the Third Ypres to Steenstraat. From there we head east visiting the German cemetery at Langemarck, and the Poelkapelle British cemetery where we find the grave of Pte J Condon who at the age of 14 was the youngest killed in the Salient during Second Ypres, and the Canadian brooding Soldier Vancouver Corner. Day 3 – Saturday Today we cycle east to visit Tyne Cot Cemetery, we then follow the approximate battle line of 22 April 1915 visiting Polygon Wood, Sanctuary Wood Museum, Hill 62 and Hill 60, we return to Ypres along the line of the Ypres-Commines Canal. Day 4 – Sunday Today we cycle south of Ypres leaving through the Lille Gate heading to Plugstreet Wood, we visit Shrapnel Corner, Bedford House cemetery, Lankhof Farm bunkers and Demarcation Stone, St Eloi Craters, Wytchacte Military cemetery, Spanbroekmolen Pool of Peace , Ploegstreet Memorial. We return to Ypres via Red Lodge Road, Leinster Road, Daylight Corner and York Road Day 5 – Monday Today we cycle south of Ypres, calling into Belgian Battery Corner cemetery, Dikkebus Lake and on to Kemmel and then to Locure Hospice cemetery to visit the grave of 28 year old Pte Denis Jetson who was shot on Mount Kemmel on 9th July 1917 for deserting We will visit the private memorial grave of Major William (known as Willie) Redmond, who was an Irish Nationalist MP, and a Major in the Royal Irish Regiment. Day 6 – Tuesday Today we return home cycling from Ypres to Dunkerque via Poperinghe, stopping at Vlamertinge cemetery we visit the grave of Captain Francis Grenfell VC; we continue on visiting St Sixtus Trappist Abbey - the monks brew a strong dark beer which can be purchased - we will also be able to see the bullet marks in a wall in the abbey against which Pte Herbert Chase of the 2nd Lancashire Fusiliers was executed on the 12th May 1915 for desertion. We continue on to Dunkerque for the 18:00 ferry to Dover. Regards Alan
Additional contact – Andrew Fergar andrew.fergar@cliffordchance.com 07717 693701